Venkaiah Naidu termed Reddy as "strong socialist and strong nationalist" who was in the forefront of fight against the repression of the Nizams prior to 1948.

"He was an ideal politician known for his honesty, simplicity and integrity. As a JP (Jaiprakash Narayan) follower, he fought against the imposition of Emergency in 1975 and was with us in jail, detained under MISA," Venkaiah Naidu recalled in a statement here.